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THAILAND

Tourists bound for Thailand, beware. The sun-baked, tropical beaches there may transport you to the other world - literally. Alarming levels of cyanide have been found by environmental consultants in the waters near some of Thailand's most popular beaches. They also discovered smaller quantities of another toxin - mercury - while conducting sample tests in the seabed adjacent to an industrial complex at Rayong, 145 km south of Bangkok. The toxins were found during two tests carried out in preparation for A, the planned expansion of the Map Ta Phut port and industrial park, said the director of environmental safety for the government's industrial estate authority. Map Ta Phut is located near a string of palm-lined beaches which attract thousands of Bangkok residents and foreign tourists on weekends.

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